The wrath of the Premier Soccer League disciplinary committee has come down heavily on Supersport United’s Pitso Mosimane and Andre Arendse — with the coach and goalkeeper being suspended and handed heavy fines.
The protracted case related to the Premier League game in which Supersport United were beaten 1-0 by Black Leopards at Thohoyandou last week.
Mosimane has been suspended from all soccer activity for 12 months, 10 of which have been suspended, and fined R100 000 — R30 000 of which has been suspended.
Arendse has been suspended for six months, five months of which have been suspended, and fined R30 000 — half of which has been suspended — while SuperSport have been fined R20 000 vicariously.
PSL prosecutor Zola Majavu said the SuperSport duo had been found guilty of verbally abusing one of the referee’s assistants and bringing the league into disrepute.
The evergreen Arendse has spent much of the season on the bench and, with Dennis Onyongo in fine fettle, SuperSport might not feel the loss of the former Bafana goalkeeper too severely.
But Mosimane’s suspension could have come at an inopportune time for Bafana, with the SuperSport coach expected to assume the position of an assistant coach to Carlos Alberto Parreira when the Brazilian arrives in South Africa next month to take charge of the national team.
Mosimane must also attend an anger management course as part of his sentence — and both the coach and Arendse have been ordered to make a public apology to the assistant referee concerned.
”As yet,” said Majavu, ”we have had no mention of any appeals. But everyone was anxious to get home after the lengthy hearing and there are seven days in which to protest the verdicts.” — Sapa